The Kattenkabinet ("Cat Cabinet"), at Herengracht 497, is an art museum devoted entirely to cats, housed in a 1667 canal house on the Herengracht. Paintings, drawings, posters, sculptures and photographs show the place of the cat in art and culture over several centuries, with works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Steinlen and Corneille. It was founded in 1990 by Bob Meijer in memory of his ginger cat, John Pierpont Morgan. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 5pm; an adult ticket costs €12.50. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for your visit, through the period rooms of the piano nobile, where the house cats also live.
Highlights
The rooms of the piano nobile
The works hang in the house's state rooms, with their painted ceilings, wood panelling and mirrors. The visit thus takes you inside a house on the Golden Bend (Gouden Bocht), the most prestigious stretch of the Herengracht.
A collection of famous artists
The museum brings together works by Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Théophile Steinlen, Corneille, Sal Meijer and Henriëtte Ronner-Knip, a 19th-century Dutch painter who specialised in cats. You will also see posters, photographs and sculptures.
A house from 1667
The house was built in 1667 for the patrician brothers Willem and Adriaen van Loon. Burgomaster Jan Calkoen lived here, followed by the Grand Pensionary Engelbert François van Berckel, whom John Adams came to see here when he represented the young United States to the Dutch Republic.
The J. P. Morgan shrine
The founder's cat, John Pierpont Morgan (1966-1983), received a gift every five years: a portrait by Ansel Sandberg for his fifth birthday, a bronze sculpture for his tenth, then a collection of fifty limericks. A room is dedicated to him, with some of these gifts.
The house cats
Several cats live in the museum and roam freely through the rooms. Don't force them to be stroked, and mention any cat allergy before buying your ticket.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Tickets online on the official website or at the entrance: adults €12.50, over-65s and students €7.50, free for under-12s, €9.50 with the I amsterdam City Card (prices checked in October 2026). The ticket office does not offer free entry with the Museumkaart. Guided tours in English, for 2 to 8 people, usually take place on Tuesdays at 11am, an hour before opening. Combine your visit with the Bloemenmarkt, 5 minutes' walk away, and a stroll along the canals.
How to get there
Herengracht 497, 1017 BT Amsterdam, on the Golden Bend of the Herengracht, between Vijzelstraat and Leidsestraat. Tram 2, 17 or 24 to the Koningsplein stop, about 4 minutes' walk away. Rokin metro station (line 52), about 6 minutes' walk away.
Opening hours
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